Altiscope-firearm.



L. L. RICHARD.

ALTISCOPE FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED :uuzza. I915.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

nwmmn [a o ATTORNEY TN. caunuu HANOOIIAHI C0; IAIHINGM. D- C.

LEROY I rennan, or ,COALINGA, cums-01mm.

ALTISCOPE-FIBEABH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented- Mar. '7, 1916.

Application filed June 28, 1915. Serial No. 35,810.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, LEROY L. RICHARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Coalinga, in the county of Fresno and State.-

of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Altiscopic Firearms, of which the-following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to fire- 'arms,"and more particularly to smallarms.

The-object of my inventionis toprovide a sma llarm adapted {for .use in trenches, in

that it-iscapable of being laid'over the rim of the trench, while its user, by means of an altiscope with which the arm is fitted, is

' able to aim without exposing himself.

My invention consists in the novel altiscopic firearm which, in its preferred form,

I shall now fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, in-which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my firearm showing it in its normal condition to be used as an ordinary rifle. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thesameshowing it adjusted for use as an altiscopic rifle. Fig. 3 is a section, enlarged, on the line w-w of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section, enlarged, of the altiscope member.

As my invention'is applicable to various makes and styles. of smallarms, and has no concern with the details .of their usual operative parts and functions, it will be necessary to illustrate these parts and to refer to them in a general way' only. Accordingly, 1 indicates the barrel portionof the rifle, and 2 the stock portion. Under the term barrel portion '1 herein include the charging and firing mechanisms and all the parts which are more intimately associated with the barrel, as, for example, the breechrregion 3, the front sight 4, the rear sight 5, the magazine region 6, the trigger 7 and guard 8, and also that forward part 9, sometimes called the forearm, which underlies the barrel, and is usually the front portion of the stock. Under the term stock portion, I include only that main body of the stock which is applied to the shoulder of the user. These parts represent the usual members of all forms of rifles. The only distinction to be here made is that for the purposes of my invention the front part 9, which is usually a part of the stock, is included in the barrel portion, and the rear end of this barrel portion is separated by a space from the forward end of the stock portion 2.

These two portions are united by a pivotal connection of a character which enables them to relatively move from a normal position in which they occupy the relation of the parts of an ordinar rifle, as seen in Fig. 1, to a position in which the barrel occupies a position sufliciently removed from the head of the user to avoid his exposure to danger while holding the stock 2 to his shoulder in the usual position for aiming and firing.

This relative movement may be in any direction, as, for example, horizontally, for aiming around a corner or angle, or vertically for aiming over an embankment or wall; and in this general connection the means by which the aiming is rendered possible may be truly periscopic in character, but for practical purposes, and in the form I have herein illustrated the invention, the movement is vertical, as shown in Fig. 2. For this reason I use the term altiscopic as defining more particularly the character of the o eration as faras direction is concerned.

- he pivotal connection here shown is in the form of an arm 10, which practically forms an extension of the stock 2. This arm is connected at its forward end to the barrel por tion by pivots on each side, one pivot 11 being here shown, and it is connected fixedly at itsrear end to the stock portion, as shown by the screws 12. The arm. 10 bridges the space betweenthe barrel and stock portions ...,.and is concave in cross section, as seen in 3, to lie snugly to said portions. The

effect of this arm connection is such that when the parts lie folded together, they are in the positions of a normal rifle, as in Fig. 1. But when they are moved relatively about the pivots at 11, the rear end of the barrel portion will rise above the forward end of the stock portion, as seen in Fig. 2.

- The movement of the barrel, relatively to the stock, is the occasion of the unfolding or'extension to functional position of an altiscope member, and its return to a folded position out of the way when not in use. This member comprises a tube 13, having a mirror 14 in its forward or upper end and a mirror 15 in its rear or lower end. The lower or rear end of the alti'scope tube is slidingly pivoted by the pins 16 in side slots 17 of the arm 10, the forward ends of the slots having recesses 18. The upper or forward end of the tube 13 is pivoted i lo k in the 17.-1This is thepositionflshown in Fig.2,

.25' a fire' over {the bank of; alltrench, while the head of the user is low enough' to; be :fully "Ls-protected. A

OKenmE'm-thearm 10.-

t eIstafilityff-the parts innormal position.

- 2 abarrel; a'stock; so extendingbtwwfl alidf' :apivotally connectingthe barrel and stock,

I n for relative; movement; and an thefstock. Byfthisimovementitlie rear end is ve tical, udits ivots 16'? drop into and 18 of the slots and tlie-rifle-may-then -be used to 'aim and M321 is she nlaisaaililac ii under the arm 10,.said latch beingadaptedto lock into a keeper, on the trigger guard 8,' when said .a .fi' V etlock insures 1.] A comprisinga barrel; a stock;

a sivotalconnectionadapting' said barrel an stock for relative movement; and an as-'. sociated' altiscope member unfolding to functional Po ition u n th relativemovem f fiid'barrelan :Stock- 2;-L;A comprising a barrel; a stock;"

1 it'rotal eonnection adapting said barrel altiscopeniember associated with said barrel and arranged to be automatically pldedtO fnncti naI position by theirrela;

- '3- A s i anam nfsi d a N 5 35351193 dlfl ds'for separat tted-b 220; fits over and embraces 'the rear 'endof' the barrel, The upper mir- 1 01 5 14. l1aS an forward through the lupper endflfl-of the tube, in the line. of the I flgunjsights J4 an'drf5', while the lowermirror -;fis exposed 'rearward1y 'to the line-of sight of-' the ;.user,3-.as.'shown 'bythe dotted, lines -in The o mm e' to efle teirpmgpfieto theother-through the, y fithefposition'fof m; I rifle,';as seenjinflfig. 1,,the altiscope' "ftubeiliesfdowninfla folded v v the'barrel and stock, bei'n'g 'neatly' nested, as.

shotvn" in, Fig. 3 the 10, and with". its forward end 20' lying over the rear end a of h -h ra y asp s im rdfi d I "of said tube. and" exerting a pressure, 1 the-rearendof thejbairreli'selevated from .I of( the tubemoves forward; until tube position between- 1, progects through an' said 5 ends and arranged for; unfolding functional position upongthe separation of saidends.

4. A firearm com abarrel; a stock, the forward endfo which is spaced from the riearend of the barrel; an arm of said stock bridging said space and-pivotally' con-v member bein arm and to t e barrelportion for unfold;

, ing to funetional position by the separation {of theA adjacent ends of the barrel and stock.

5. the forward end of which is spaced from the rear" end of the barrel; anarm of said stock bridgin said space and pivotally connect- 4 ing the arrel and'stock; an .altiscope mem firearm comprising a barrel;a i

ber normally lying'in' the spacebetween' the barrel and stock;- a stationary pivotal connection between the forward end of said altimember and the-rear end of the bar rel; a'nda sliding pivotal connection be 7 tween its rear end and the arm of the stock,

said connections adapting the altiscope' member for unfolding to 'functional position u on'the' separation of the adjacent ends 0 the barrel andstock.

- 6. A firearm comprising a barrel; a

theforward end of" which is spaced from" a the rear end of the, barrel; an arm of said stock bridging said space and pivotally connecting the barrel "and .stock;;an altiscope member normally lying inthe space between the barrel and stock; astationary pivotal connection betweenthe forward end of said altiscope member-"and the rearfendof the.

barrel; and pivot insin' the rearend of the;

ing to fuhctional position upon the separation of the, adjacent ends of the barrel and stock."

"In testimony whereof I have signed my:

' name to this specification' twosubscribing witnea es.

g LEROY L.- RICHARD Witnesses: Y

' Wu. F. Boomer, I

S. (kmsfrnm. A

' altiscope member ttini'and sliding in slots "1 i In rethe presence of 

